Tranquil Rides

SANDUSKY — There’s a lot of buzz brewing up along the shores of Lake Erie, and it’s all because of a pair of white, haunting eyes.

The animalistic stare is the first official tease from Cedar Point regarding its new attraction for 2013.

Cedar Point posted the image on its blog Saturday with the following tease: You didn’t think we would give away 2013 THAT easy did you? Watch out for inversions and (!%!@@!#%(!@!!^

The day before unleashing that teaser, Cedar Point announced on its Facebook page that two rides were being removed to make room for a new attraction. “Something big is happening,” the post declares. “Disaster Transport and Space Spiral will be dismantled this season to make space for @!!$!(*%%. We’re sad to see them go, but are excited as we fly into the future. Stay tuned for more!”

Park spokesperson Annie Zelm says neither ride will be moved to another location after being dismantled.

A press release says the rides are being removed “to make better use of prime space in the front of the park and enhance the overall appearance of that corridor.”

But this news comes as no surprise. Back in May we told you about the potential removal of those rides after a memo was leaked regarding a new attraction for 2013 — a wing-style roller coaster that’s said to have the biggest drop, fastest speed and longest run of any similar ride.

A wing coaster takes riders on a journey without a visible track above or beneath them. That sensation is created since riders are seated on each side of the track with their feet dangling in the air.

Dollywood in Tennessee and Six Flags Great America in Chicago each debuted a wing coaster this year (see video below to watch one in action).

If the new ride is in a fact a roller coaster as the memo indicated, it will be the first one built at Cedar Point since the park unleashed Maverick in 2007.

As a result of the new attraction, Cedar Point says Disaster Transport will make its final run on Sunday, July 29 before screeching to a halt forever.

“I think fans of the park who really want it to be special have felt for a long time that Disaster Transport was a hideous warehouse-looking structure blocking views of the lake,” says Jeff Putz of CoasterBuzz.com. “While some people may be sentimental about the ride, especially if it was one of their first as a young child, it certainly isn’t very exciting. Once they see the replacement, I doubt anyone will give it a second thought.”

The ride first made its debut along the edge of Lake Erie in 1985 as Avalanche Run — an outdoor bobsled-style coaster. In 1990, the ride was re-named Disaster Transport, enclosed and refurbished with a new outer space theme.

The two-minute ride takes 10-person trains along the dark track at speeds up to 40 mph.

Cedar Point says more than 30 million people have experienced the ride since it made its debut.

Distater Transport’s building also housed a special indoor haunted attraction each Halloween season for HalloWeekends — most recently Happy Jack’s Toy Factory. But as a result of the building’s removal, Zelm says that Happy Jack’s Toy Factory will not be returning for this year’s HalloWeekends. Instead, Zelm says the park will introduce a new HalloWeekends attraction for the 2012 spooky season. That attraction has not yet been revealed.

Those who want to be the final riders on Disaster Transport can participate in an online auction to benefit Give Kids The World. For a $20 registration fee and a $50 minimum donation, anybody can enjoy a private party and exclusive ride time on Disaster Transport after the coaster closes to the public. The fundraisers with the highest totals will earn the privilege of choosing their seats on the last train while riding with the lights on.

This marks the second roller coaster to be placed in the Cedar Point graveyard this year because the park removed the WildCat prior to opening day to make room for Luminosity, a new night-time show.

The park has not yet announced a final operating day for Space Spiral, but officials say the ride will be closed forever before the end of the season.

The 330-foot rotating observation tower opened in 1965 and has been an icon of the park’s skyline ever since.

Zelm says Cedar Point has not yet set a firm date on when they will officially unveil the new attraction for 2013, but they are looking at unleashing the news in mid August.

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Shortly after 8 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, guests of the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross will take the final public rides on the Paddlewheel Excursions, the scenic riverboat cruise at Cedar Point.

To determine the participants on the two last rides, the Red Cross will host The Last Ride Auction for the seats on the last two boats. Each boat will accommodate 25 riders. (Riders must be at least 46 inches tall or accompanied by a responsible person.)

The top 49 bidders will be officially certified as the Last Riders on the Paddlewheel Excursions. The highest 24 riders will earn a seat on the last public cruise. As a special treat, that last boat will be captained by Dick Kinzel, CEO of the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Bidders 25-49 will have a seat on the second last boat. Official bidding began Aug. 26 and will run through 8:30 a.m. on this Friday, Sept. 2.

In addition to a final ride on Paddlewheel Excursions, successful bidders will also receive complimentary admission to Cedar Point, admission to the Last Ride Auction Reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments that will begin at 7 p.m. at Charlie Brown’s Cookout in Camp Snoopy, a commemorative medallion from the Red Cross and certificates of recognition from the Red Cross and Cedar Point.

Winning participants will be able to enter the park anytime during the day and will also receive free parking. (Cedar Point will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5.) They will also be able to purchase discounted tickets for family and friends for use on Labor Day.

A themed-riverboat cruise has been in operation at Cedar Point since the early Sixties. During that span, it has given more than 47 million rides.

All proceeds from the event will support the many programs provided by the Firelands Chapter of the American Red Cross.

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Cedar Point has some pretty big plans for next summer.

The Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort earlier today announced plans to introduce Dinosaurs Alive! on Adventure Island, a prehistoric themed attraction, for next summer. The new attraction will be located on four acres on the wooded island that is located in the lagoons toward the back of the park.

In addition to Dinosaurs Alive!, Cedar Point will also add a mat-racer slide complex to the Soak City waterpark located adjacent to the park. Dinosaurs Alive! will cost approximately $1 million to build.

The journey into Dinosaurs Alive! will be multi-sensory and interactive. Guests will be able to see approximately 50 life-size animatronic dinosaurs that will roar and move. Each will be handcrafted and covered with skin-like materials that will replicate almost every feature. Four of the dinosaurs will have interactive consoles that will allow guests to guide their movement to create an up-close look at how these dinosaurs moved their arms, tail, eyes and mouth.

“We are extremely excited about introducing Dinosaurs Alive! to our guests next summer,” said John Hildebrandt, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “Our guests will have the opportunity to visit the Jurassic Age up close and see some of the amazing creatures that called it home. Dinosaurs Alive! will be educational but fun, too.”

Overall, Dinosaurs Alive! will feature approximately three dozen types of dinosaurs. The dinosaurs will range in size and height. The largest will be the Ruyangosaurus that will stand nearly 40 feet tall and 72 feet long. The smallest will be an Angustinaripterus that will only be two feet tall and eight feet long.

Other dinosaurs in Dinosaurs Alive! will include the vicious Tyrannosaurus Rex, Irratator, Baryonyx and Spinosaurus, the largest of all known carnivorous dinosaurs. A plated Stegosaurus and three-horned Triceratops will also inhabit the island. The half-mile-long path will feature more than a dozen themed exhibits and displays and will veer underneath several of the larger dinosaurs providing a very intimate encounter with the prehistoric beasts.

Guests will enter Dinosaurs Alive! by crossing a bridge near Camp Snoopy. In addition to the dinosaurs, explorers will also encounter an excavation site and paleontological dig. There will also be informational signs for each exhibit and guides and fossil displays that will make Dinosaurs Alive! an entertaining three-dimensional educational tool for school groups as the discovery and identification of new species of dinosaurs increases annually. At the conclusion of the journey, there will be a prehistoric-themed gift shop.

Admission to Dinosaurs Alive! will be $5 per person. Special rates for groups and schools will also be available.

With the addition of Dinosaurs Alive!, the Paddlewheel Excursions boat cruise will be retired from the park. The pioneer-themed boat ride will be in daily operation through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5.

Cedar Point’s newest attraction will be created and produced by Dinosaurs Unearthed, an innovative traveling exhibition company that creates dynamic, multi-sensory experiences about the world of dinosaurs. Since 2005, the Richmond, British Columbia, Canada,-based company has provided multi-faceted exhibitions to museums, science centers and zoos throughout the world.

Next to Cedar Point, the Soak City waterpark will also have a new look for 2012. Next summer it will add a new mat-racer complex that will offer racers a speedy ride through a series of dips and plateaus. Additional information will be available later this year.

For more information about Dinosaurs Alive! on Adventure Island and Cedar Point’s plans for 2012, please visit the park’s website at: cedarpoint.com.